Former WWE star Maria Kanellis revealed that some top names in WWE criticized her for dating CM Punk back in the day.
Kanellis and Punk were together while both were part of WWE’s developmental system in Ohio Valley Wrestling. At the time, Punk was still building his reputation on the independent wrestling scene. According to Kanellis, many established names in WWE looked down on independent wrestlers and they also looked down on Punk.
Maria Kanellis recalls being criticized for dating CM Punk
Speaking on Wrestling Life with Ben Veal, Kanellis discussed how much the wrestling industry has evolved over the years. During the conversation, she recalled being told she was making a mistake by dating Punk.
“This is not the same industry that I got into, you know, 20-some years ago. 20-some years ago, I wouldn’t have had a voice. I wouldn’t have had, you know, been able to do what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it. I wouldn’t have been able to be even in it cuz I’m 44 years old. Like, there’s no way it would have even happened.”
“So, the wrestling world has changed so much, and it continues to change. And, you know, it used to be that indie guys were looked down upon. I was around plenty of top guys that would tell me how dumb I was for dating CM Punk when I was dating him. And it was just the start of the whole indie wrestling resurgence, or not even resurgence, but takeover of WWE.”
“And so, like, there was that time where indie guys never made it into WWE. And then, all of a sudden, they were allowed to be in WWE. And there was a time where women couldn’t throw punches. And then, guess what? They can.”
According to Kanellis, the wrestling industry continues to evolve, creating more opportunities than ever before. “And so, it just changes. And I’m excited to see where it changes next.”
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